Gov. Kasich Serves as Lifeline for Obamacare

President Obama cited Governor John Kasich’s embrace of the Obamacare Medicaid expansion as proof the law works during two separate November 14 speeches, flailing to defend his signature legislative achievement while it hikes insurance costs nationwide and causes millions to lose their policies.

“Another 396,000 have the ability to gain access to Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. That’s been less reported on, but it shouldn’t be,” President Obama said during his November 14 press briefing, which resembled a marathon Obamacare mea culpa.

“Later today, I’ll be in Ohio, where Governor Kasich, a Republican, has expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act,” Obama continued. “And as many as 275,000 Ohioans will ultimately be better off because of it.”

Using Gov. Kasich to bludgeon the governors who have rejected his promise of billions in new Medicaid funding, the president added, “And if every governor followed suit, another 5.4 million Americans could gain access to health care next year.”

President Obama continued, “And think about that. Just that one step means as many as 275,000 Ohioans are going to have health insurance. And it doesn’t depend on a website. That’s already happening because of the Affordable Care Act.”

“And I think it’s fair to say that the Governor didn’t do it because he just loves me so much,” President Obama joked. “We don’t agree on much, but he saw, well, this makes sense — why wouldn’t we do this? Why wouldn’t we make sure that hundreds of thousands of people right here in Ohio have some security? It was the right thing to do.”

Again using Kasich’s reputation as a fiscal conservative against all the conservatives who have stood up against Medicaid expansion, Obama said, “And, by the way, if every Republican governor did what Kasich did here rather than play politics about it, you’d have another 5.4 million Americans who could get access to health care next year, regardless of what happens with the website.”

“That’s their decision not to do it. And it’s the wrong decision. They’ve got to go ahead and sign folks up,” the president said.

“So the bottom line is sometimes we just have to set aside the politics and focus on what’s good for people,” Obama added, a refrain used extensively by Ohio’s entitlement lobby while trying to help Gov. Kasich ram the Obamacare Medicaid expansion through the state legislature.